Hands off Ashby: Hockey

Shadow treasurer
Joe Hockey
wants the Labor Party to stop treating a former adviser to Speaker
Peter Slipper
as a “political football" over his allegations of sexual harassment, amid new questions about the Coalition’s involvement in the case.

Former Howard minister
Mal Brough
, who is seeking to challenge for Mr Slipper’s Queensland electorate of Fisher after losing his own nearby seat in 2007, has admitted he met James Hunter Ashby on three occasions before the Speaker’s former adviser brought a claim of sexual harassment.

Foreign Minister
Bob Carr
seized on the admission, claiming Mr Ashby seemed “more rehearsed" than an actor in a traditional Japanese play.

Mr Hockey said he was “appalled" at Senator Carr’s comments.

“Frankly, when there is an allegation of sexual harassment it should be left to the courts without all of this speculation around it and any attempts to try to intimidate the staffer that is making the complaint," Mr Hockey told ABC TV.

“It’s a very serious issue and frankly I’m quite appalled at the debate that’s going on at the moment, trying to treat this guy as a political football. It’s got to stop.

“I wonder if it would have been a bit different if he was female, making the allegation against a male. It doesn’t matter whether you’re male or female. Where there’s sexual harassment in the workplace it needs to be dealt with by the police and by the courts and that’s where it should stay."

Mr Hockey also warned colleagues that further commentary on the matter risked being used as evidence in any court case.